Forum on Faith: True peace can only be achieved on the foundation of justice

Published 12:10 am, Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Association for Religious Communities has just completed its seventh year of sponsoring the Interfaith Peace Camp. Forty participants had the opportunity to hear from five different faith communities about "What peace means in my faith."

I would like to dedicate this column to this very important subject and to thank ARC for giving me and the Muslim community the opportunity to participate. We all know that the future is in the hands of the young people, and I believe exposing them to such an experience will have a positive effect.

This camp experience truly solidifies the reality that everyone and every community hungers for peace; it is a human inclination and ambition. Each participant had the opportunity to observe this and possibly be influenced by this commonality on which we all can come together and work to achieve this seemingly elusive thing that is peace.

For many of the participants, this was their first opportunity to enter a mosque and question why our sanctuary (the prayer area) has no seating, why the rugs are placed at an angle, why the men line up in the front and the women in the back for prayer.

They had an opportunity to learn the significance of the Arabic language in Islam and observe the Arabic calligraphy, write their names in Arabic and hear the Quran recited. They also had the opportunity to ask me, "Why are you dressed like that?"

Do these questions further understanding? Absolutely.

As an optimist, I do believe that peace can be achieved and it will be achieved only on the foundations of justice. True peace is a state where there is an absence of war and chaos and where equal opportunities are extended to all, regardless of race, gender, nationality or

religion.

But what brings about this state? For Muslims, it's the ability to stand firmly for fairness and equity, as a witness to God, even if it's against oneself or loved ones or close associates, even if it goes against the rich and powerful or the poor and helpless.

The act of justice is closely tied to our relationship with God. In order to bring ourselves to this destination where we can dispense justice, we must first undergo spiritual training where we discipline our souls.

For Muslims, basic spiritual training begins with the five pillars. All the pillars of Islam, while they are in themselves forms of worship, are also a means to prepare us for the greater worship, which is serving and pleasing God throughout our lives and in every segment of our lives.

First pillar: To testify that there is no other god but God. We cleanse our heart of any other god and any other object of worship except God. The effect of this is that one completely surrenders to the will of God, thereby becoming His true servant.

We testify that we acknowledge that Muhammad (with peace) is indeed the servant and last messenger of God; the one who received the final revelations and exemplified the mode of Islamic living.

Second pillar: Praying five times daily at specific times is meant to restrain one from actions displeasing to God. It directs us and connects us to God. It molds the characteristics of patience, commitment and determination.

Third pillar: Fasting in the month of Ramadan, the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, offers us 30 days for self-reformation. It makes us aware that God is ever observing us. It cultivates our willpower and self-control, which enables us to reach our full potential. It also encourages the virtues of charity rather than greed, and compassion rather than indifference.

Fourth pillar: Charity. According to the Quran (2.215): "They ask about charity. Say: Spend with a good heart, give it to parents, relatives, orphans, the helpless, and travelers in need.' "

When we realize that our wealth is a trust from God, and that we should spend it according to his specifications, then it serves to purify and protect our heart from selfishness and attachment to the material world.

Fifth pillar: The pilgrimage, or Hajj, serves to connect with God, to walk in the footsteps of the prophets and follow their example.

Belief and worship must affect our morals and subsequently our actions and behavior in doling out justice in all areas of our life, whether personal, social, political or business. The pillars of Islam are a means from which we can achieve these ends.